The new academic year started with a shortage of teachers in Portugal: 2,700 curriculums are still empty

As the 2026/2027 academic year begins in Portugal, the problem of teacher shortage for thousands of students is at the top of the agenda again. Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre announced that in the latest placement data, approximately 2,700 teaching courses (horário) could not be filled.

However, this number does not directly mean that "2,700 classrooms are without teachers" or "all students affiliated with these programs will not be able to teach." According to the Ministry, schools will be able to cover some of the remaining open courses by giving additional lessons to existing teachers.

The region where the problem is most intense is again Greater Lisbon and the Setúbal Peninsula.

The new school year also begins with two important changes: the daily placement system, which aims to fill the teacher shortage more quickly, comes into effect and the smartphone ban extends to the 9th grade.

Approximately 2,700 programs could not be filled

According to the latest data announced by Education Minister Fernando Alexandre in an interview with Renascença and Público, approximately 2,700 horários remained vacant after teacher placements.

Approximately 1,400 of these consist of incomplete/partial syllabuses.

This distinction is important. The number of “horário” announced in Portugal is not directly synonymous with the number of teachers or students. A horário can be full-time or it can be a partial requirement consisting of only a certain number of lesson hours.

Therefore, reading the number 2,700 literally as "2,700 teachers are missing" not true.

Minister Fernando Alexandre also stated that all vacant programs do not mean that students will be left without classes, and that a significant part of them will be covered by overtime/additional lessons to be given to existing teachers.

However, the government acknowledges that some students will start the school year before all their classes' teachers are ready.

The center of the teacher shortage: Lisbon and Setúbal

The problem is not evenly distributed across the country.

Nearly half of the unfilled programs in the latest data are in the Greater Lisbon and Setúbal region.

Even more striking, 36 percent of unfilled full-time programs are found in Greater Lisbon alone.

According to the information provided by the Minister, in particular:

Lisbon

Loures

amadora

sintra

It is among the regions where it is difficult to find teachers.

Fernando Alexandre also acknowledged that in some schools in Greater Lisbon there is a high risk that students will start the first term without a teacher in all classes.

This table shows that the teacher shortage in Portugal is not only related to the total number of teachers; It shows that the distribution of teachers within the country is also one of the main problems.

Why is the government focusing specifically on Lisbon, Setúbal and the Algarve?

The latest changes in the +Aulas +Sucesso plan previously announced by the government also confirm this geographical problem.

As of the 2026/2027 academic year, the teacher shortage will be at its most intense. There are 235 schools/school groups within the scope of eight “Quadro de Zona Pedagógica” determined for the regions where it is located.

These areas are concentrated in Greater Lisbon, the Setúbal Peninsula and the Algarve.

The additional fee of 750 euros provided to certain teachers who continue to teach despite meeting the retirement conditions is now directed specifically to these regions where there is a teacher shortage.

The aim is to keep teachers in the system in regions where the personnel shortage is most severe.

Starting from September 18, teachers will be placed daily

One of the most important operational changes this academic year will be in the teacher placement system.

In the first phase, placements will continue weekly. Starting from September 18, teachers will be placed on a daily basis.

The goal is simple: When a school needs a teacher, there is no waiting for the next weekly placement round.

Thus, it is aimed to fill empty course schedules more quickly if a suitable teacher is found.

However, this should not be confused with the more comprehensive new teacher recruitment model announced by the government in July.

The new structural system, based on two central national competitions and continuous applications throughout the year, is planned to come into force in the 2027/2028 academic year.

Therefore, the daily placement, which started on September 18, is a transition period used to respond more quickly to the current teacher shortage. mechanism.

From now on, we will find out every month how many students are actually left without a teacher

One of the important problems of the teacher shortage debate in Portugal, which has been going on for years, is the difference between the announced number of "vacant horários" and the number of students who actually cannot take classes.

The Minister of Education announced that a new system has been put into effect in this regard.

Each lesson taught in the new academic year will be associated with the teacher teaching that lesson in the information system. Schools will need to complete course registrations within five business days from the end of the month.

As a result, according to the ministry, the government will:

How many students cannot take lessons,

In which subjects is there a shortage of teachers?

and how long this deficiency lasts

will be able to disclose it to the public on a monthly basis.

This change is important because until today the question "how many teacher shortages are there?" and “how many students really can't take classes?” The answers to the questions were often confused.

If the new system works as planned, the true impact of the teacher crisis on students will become more measurable.

Another big change: Smartphone ban extended to 9th grade

Another important change in the new academic year that directly concerns students and families is smartphones.

The Portuguese government has extended the restriction previously applied to the 1st and 2nd ciclo to the 3rd ciclo, that is, to the 7th, 8th and 9th grades.

Thus, smartphone use The ban extended to the 9th grade in basic education.

The government says the decision is based on results from previous implementation. According to the official statement, after the previous restrictions, a 36 percent increase in socialization in schools and a 13 percent decrease in disciplinary incidents were observed.

Schools were given until January 1, 2027 to adapt their internal regulations to the new rule.

The ban does not apply in all cases

There are some exceptions to the smartphone regulation.

The use of devices by teachers for pedagogical purposes may be allowed. Exceptions may also be made for students who need a phone for health reasons.

Additionally, it may be used when necessary, for example for translation purposes.

Therefore, the regulation is implemented as a system that limits the use of smartphones in the school area rather than requiring the student to bring a phone to school.

In high schools, the same ban is not on the agenda for now. Fernando Alexandre said that a general phone ban at the secondary level is not planned at this stage.

The start date for secondary school students is different

There is also an important exception in the 2026/2027 calendar.

The starting period of the new academic year in pre-school and basic education institutions in Portugal is determined as 11-15 September.

However, the government later made a separate decision for secondary school students in scientific-humanities programs.

This The start of classes for students was postponed to September 21.

The government announced that the decision was taken to prevent teachers working during the extraordinary national exam period held in September from having to carry out both exam evaluation and preparation for the new academic year at the same time.

For this reason, there is no single "schools opened on September 11" date for all students in Portugal.

What's important to families now?

The next few weeks will be critical, especially for families living in Greater Lisbon, Setúbal and the Algarve.

If a school does not yet have a teacher for a particular subject, this does not mean that the situation is permanent. Following the weekly placements, it is aimed to gradually close the open programs with the start of the daily placement mechanism on September 18.

The main indicator will be the monthly student data that the government has promised to announce.

Because although approximately 2,700 vacant horários are an important warning sign, the data that will show the true extent of the teacher shortage in Portugal on students will be how many students are deprived of which courses and for how many days.

The 2026/2027 school year will therefore be the first serious test not only of whether the teacher shortage persists, but also of how quickly the new measures introduced by the government can actually close this gap.

Resources

ECO / Lusa — 11 September 2026 — “Falta de professores e proibição de smartphones até ao 9.º ano no arranque do novo ano letivo”

Renascença / Público — Cristina Nascimento and Andreia Sanches, September 10, 2026 — “Fusão do 1.º e 2.º ciclos avança, professores até ao 4.º ano vão dar menos horas de aulas”

Governo de Portugal — 30 July 2026 — “Governo aprova pacote de reformas estruturais para preparar o ano letivo 2026/2027”

Governo de Portugal — 30 July 2026 — “Aprovado novo modelo de colocação de professores e revisão da Educação Inclusiva”

Governo de Portugal — 5 August 2026 — “Aulas do Ensino Secundário começam a 21 de setembro, 3.º Ciclo sem alterações”

Portal da Educação — Calendário Escolar 2026/2027